Hose-coupling.



PATENTED JUNE 26, 1906.

J. F. MoELROY. HOSE COUPLING. APPLICATION FILED MAE.15. 1904.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

No. 824,670. PATENTED JUNE 26,1906.

J. F. MoELROY.

HOSE COUPLING.

APPLIOATION FILED MAR. 15. 1904.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

MHFEET 4 Invent? '73 f K m 6?,14%z 7 K m E UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES F. MGELROY, OF ALBANY, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO OONSOEL DATED OARHEATING COMPANY, OF ALBANY, NEW YORK, A COR- PORATION OF WEST VIRGINIA.

HOSE-COUPLING- Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed March 15, 1904. Serial No- 198,286.

Patented June 26, 1906.

.To alt whom it may concern: I

Be it known that I,'JAMEs F. MCELROY, a citizen of the United States,residing at Albany, county of Albany, and State of New York, haveinvented certainnew' and useful Improvements in Hose-Couplings, of whichthe following specification and accompanying drawings disclose, as anillustration, one embodiment thereof which I now regard as the best outof the various forms in which the principles of the invention may beapplied.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of the Sewallstraight-port gravity-coupling e nipped with my invention. Fig. 2 is aplan t ereof. Fig. 3 1s a rear elevation thereof, partlyin section.Figs.4 and 5 and 6 are respectively side elevations, Ian, and rearelevation, partly in section, 0 a form wherein the latch is applied toan existing coupler; and Figs. 7, 8, 9, and 10 are respectively frontelevation, side elevation, plan, and reverse side elevation of amodification.

My invention relates to hose-couplers particularly designed for use inthe steam-heatmg of railway-vehicles wherein the steam is conducted fromcar to car by means of a flexible hose forming the terminal of thetrainpipe on each car and adapted to be coupled to the correspondinghose of an adjoining car. The invention particularly relates to couplersof the type mentioned, wherein a retaining-spring is provided to securea more reliable union between two couplers without preventing theirautomatic uncoupling when the cars are drawn apart; and it consists in apivoted latch on each coupler adapted to be turned into or out ofengagement with the overlapping projection of the adjoining coupler andwhen in its engaging position to be automatically lifted against theforce of the spring when the cars draw apart.

Turning to Fig. 1 of the accompanying drawings, A represents the bodyportion of an ordinary coupler of the kind described, and B rep.-

resents a'forwardly-projecting rigid wing on one side of the bodyportion which is adapted to overlap and engage with a rigid lug on thebody portion of a complementary coupler when the two are brought intoengagement and preserve an interlocked engagement by the usual wedgingaction. On one side of the body portion A and to the rear thereof I pro-D and is surrounded by a spring F, which tends to draw the pin downwardand with it the latch D against its seat on the upper horizontal face ofthe projection O. The vlatch D may be turned out of its engagingposition aforesaid into the position indicated by the dotted lines inFig. 2. When so turned aside, it lies entirely out of the path ofmovement of the engaging wingand is of no effect in maintaining orprotecting the engagement of the two parts of the coupler. In order thatthe latch may be retained in either of its two described positions, Iprovide a pin on the under side of the rear end of the latch, which mayengage with one or the other of the pits or sockets (1 (P. Thisengagement with the pits isso slight that it does not interfere with thefree turning of the latch from one side to the other.

When the two parts of the coupler have been brought into engagement witheach other in' the manner well known to the art,

the latch D is then turned from its dottedline position, 'Fig. 2, to itsfull-line position,

when, as above noted, it will project over the wing of the adjoiningcoupler and serve to maintain the locking engagement thereof againstordinary interrupting tendencies. When, however, the two couplers are tobe forcibly disconnected from each other by the cars drawing apart,then, as well known, the wings tend to rise up as the two couplers swinground an axis, hinge, or fulcrum located approximately at the lower edgeof their meeting faces, and the overhanging latch D will be also liftedagainst the force ofthe spring F and will allow the wing to be drawn outfrom under it and the connection of the two couplers broken. This actionof the latch D is permitted by reason of the conical opening throughwhich the pin E passes and also by reason of the fact that the underside of the pin-head bears upon the peak of'a ridge withinclined-surfaces formed on the upper side of the latch. This allows thelatch D, to turn vertically around a horizontal transverse axisapproximately coincident with the rear edge of the latch to a degreesuflicient to permit the escape of the coupler- Wing, as aforesaid,while the latch is'also free to turn horizontally about the pin E, asalready described. The vertical movement of the latch will be resistedby the spring F, and after the escape. of the coupler-wing the s ringwill draw the latch down to the position indicated in Fig. 1.

In Figs. 4, 5, and 6 I have shown a similar arrangement adapted to beapplied to an existing coupler, wherein the body A'oithe coupler is notprovided with the cast projec tion C. in this case I make the part C aseparate piece with a curved seat adapted to embrace the curved portionK of the coupler back of the body portionA. The projection is then heldin place by a clamp C lying on the opposite side of the part K andsecured to the projection C by means of short bolts above and belowthecoupler.

Turning to Figs. 7; 8, 9, and 10, there is' shown therein a modifiedform of the arrangement just described, wherein the latch D liestransversely across the rear portion o1 the body instead of paralleltherewith, as in the arrangement just described. In this case the pin Epasses down through the body A at one side of the internal passagetherethrough, as indicated in Fig. 9,v and is provided with a-spring F,surrounding the pin see,

and contained in a socket formed by an enlargement of the hole throughwhich the pin I passes, as shown in Fig. 10. The latch D in i this formmay be turned out of its engaging f position by movingit backward to theposii tion shown'in dotted lines in Fig. 9, and in like manner the latchmay be held in its diiferent positions by the lug on its under sideengaging suitably-located pits in the surface over which the rear end'oithe latch sweeps as it is turned from side to side. The action I of thelatch in this modified arrangement is the same as inthe other formalready described. In each case it will be observed] that the'operativeend of the spring-latch ex- 0 erts a direct pressure on the wing B ofthe l complementary member in the direction of i the locking-lug overwhichsaid the fulcrum at the lower edge of the port 1 twe -whichpressure is a direct application of yielding force tending to keep theinterlocking devices engaged-,- and hence maintain the portfaces-oi thecoupler parts in contact. Couplers have been made in which the springaction was merely frictional, or if not wholly frictional. thencam-likeor Wedge-likemherewing hooks l that-is, tangent to a circleconcentric with i by only one component of a resolved force acts in thisdirection. Such a locking action is evi- 7dently inferior to the actionwhich I have described, and couplers employing theformer are much morelikely to separate partially or accidentally and are much harder toseparate or connect ii the spring is made strong.

What I claim as new, and -desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination with. a train-hose coupler composed of two partshaving rigid interlocking members which hold the parts in coupledposition by a wedging action and v are automatically disengaged by alongitu dinal pull on said parts, o'f'an' automatic ally-releasing latchexerting its main pressure in a direction counter to the unlockingmoveto exert its main pressure in a direction counter to the unlockingmovement of the parts.

3. The 'combination'with a hose-coupler having two complementaryparts'provided with interlocking members which connect and disconnect by apivotal movement of said parts about an axis, of an additionalspring-latch on one, part adapted .to engage the other and so disposedasto act thereon with a substantially unresolved yielding lUO pressurecounter to the unlocking movement of -the parts so to hold theinterlocking members together.

4. The combination wi h a hGSeCUllP1B1" having two complementary partsconnecting by a hinging movement about a fulcrum, of a.forwardly-projecting wing, a locking mem ber adapted to engage withasimilar Win on the other couplerpart, and a spring-late in the path ofthe complementary wing exerting .a substantially unresolved pressuretoward said locking member in a direction tangent to a circle concentricwith the fulcrum.

5. The combination with a hose-coupler having'two complementary parts,of a semiautomatic latch on one part having a manually-imposed movementof engagement and disengagement with the complementary member in onepath, and a separate auto matic movement of disengagementtherefrom in adifferent path.

6. The combination with a nose-coupier having two complementary parts,of a semiautomatic spring-latch-onone part having a manually-imposedmovement in. one path to engage and disengage it with the complementarypart, and. a separate automatic movement in another path to disengage itwhen the parts uncouple, and a spring resisting the last said movement,

'7. The combination with a two-part gravity-cou ler' having interlockingmeans auto matically disengaging by a relative pivotal movement of theparts produced by a longitudinal pull thereon, of a semi-automaticspring-latch exerting pressure which tends to hold the interlockingmeans in engagement and mounted for two movements in difierent paths,one of which places it in or out of operative position, and the other ofwhich permits the automatic uncoupling of the parts.

8. The combination with a hose-coupling composed of two interlockingparts having provision for automatic disengagement by a pull exertedthereon, of a pivoted automatic spring-latch mounted on one part andadapted to be turned into and out of a position overhanging the otherpart for resisting such dise agementn 9.- he combination with ahose-coupler having two complementary parts, of a spring-latch pivotedon one part so as to swing on one axis to engage with the other partwhen both parts are in their engaging position and on another axis so asto automatically release when the parts are uncoupled.

10. The combination with a hose-coupler having two complementary partseach provided with a side wing overlapping and engaging with the other,of-a spring-latch pivoted to one part and adapted to be turned into orout of a position overhanging the wing of the other part when the, twoparts are in engagement, and capable of yielding to permit thedisengagement of the two parts.

11. The combination with a hose-coupler having two complementary parts,each provided with a side wing overlapping and engaging with the bodyportion of the other part, of a spring-latch pivoted to one part so asto be turned into and out of engagement with the wing of the other partbut capable of yielding in the plane of its pivotal axis to permit theescape of the engaged wing when the parts are uncoupled.

1 2. The combination with a hose-coupler having two complementary partseach provided with a side wing to overlap and engage the other, of alatch engaging one. part and loosely pivoted to the other part so as tomove in one path into and out of engagement with the wing of the otherpart and in another path while in engagement therewith,

and a spring for said latch adapted to yield- 14:. The combination witha two-part hose-coupler having provision for automatic uncoupling, of alatch device on one of the coupler parts for enga ing the other part andresisting such uncoup ing, said device comprising an axially-movablepintle, a sprin acting axially thereon, and a latch adapte to turn onsaid pintle into and out of operative position.

15. The combination with a two-part hose-coupler having pi'ovision forautomatic uncoupling, of a lat device on one of the coupler parts forengaglipg the other part and resisting such uncoup g, said devicecomprising an axially-movable pintle, a spring acting axially thereon, alatch adapted 'to turn on said intle into and out of o erative position,an means-for retaining the latch in a plurality of pivotal positions.

16. The combination with a coupler having two complementary parts eachprovided with a side wing to over the other part, of a detachablespring-latch holder on one part, and a spring latch mounted on saidholder and engaging the other part but adapted to yield to permit thedisengagement of the two parts.

In witness whereof I have hereunto sub-' scribed my name -before twosubscribing witnesses this 12th day ofMarch, 1904.

JAMES F. MoELROY Witnesses:

WILLIAM A. MORRILL, Jr., ERNEST D. JANSEN.

ap and engage with

